Glenn Beck

While watching Glenn Beck often leads me to speculate about his mental stability, he is clearly an entertaining speaker. He also is not one to shy away from controversial remarks, even when they are directed at Republicans.

At the recent CPAC event he said something that struck me as quite correct: “It’s not enough just to not suck as much as the other side.” That He also added: “The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I have not heard people in the Republican Party admit they have a problem and when I did hear them say they have a problem, I don’t know if I believed them.” Beck went on to enumerate the problems the Republicans face, such as an addiction to spending and a willingness to put the government ahead of the individual. While this is a stock libertarian line, Beck seems to be on target in calling the Republican party to task.

The Republicans allege to be fiscal conservatives, but they tend to be profligate spenders when they get into power. Beck’s own hero, Reagan, was no fiscal conservative but a big spender. Bush, of course, spent Clinton’s surplus and then kept on spending-thus handing Obama a massive money pit to climb out of. In general, the core ideas of fiscal conservativism are quite plausible: do not spend more than you have and when you must spend, spend responsibly.

The Republicans have also alleged to be for small government and for the individual. However, as Beck points out, the Republicans and the Democrats both create massive government. Be it under Reagan or Obama, the Federal government has grown and become even more intrusive with each passing year. This has resulted in a greater consumption of resources (mostly through waste) as well as more restrictions on liberty.

What always strikes me as an amazing irony is when I hear Republican politicians speak about how government is the problem while they are working very hard to become part of that government. Naturally, they can be quite right (that government is a problem). However, it seems to be wise to be suspicious of someone who is eager to become part of what he considers to be the problem.

Overall, Beck is quite right to be critical of the Democrats and the Republicans.

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Comments

I don’t however agree with your characterisation that Republicans and Democrats are both the same. Or your insinuation that somehow Beck is not in agreement with Republicans; he is, but wants them to do what they say. He was, afterall, invited to CPAC.

You fail to mention what Obama has done, shattering every record of spending in less trhan a year. The Republicans need only follow their own ethos. The Democrats ARE following their own ethos. At least the Dems do what they say–spend way too much and blame America for the evils of the world.

Beck has always called Republicans to task–as every Republican should.

Jobless claims up 12% in the last 2 weeks. I keep telling you Mike that businesses are not going to hire if they have to shoulder the burden and the uncertainty in the business word is crazy. 1). We are not sure where this crazy spending binge is going to stop and 2). We know he is anti Capitalist so guess who is worried they are going to be footed with the bill.

But the spending binge by government has largely been to benefit the large corporations. They have little uncertain-they can be sure the feds will bail them out again and again (whether the fed be ruled by the Democrats or Republicans).

Obama anti-capitalist? That is a truly odd claim. After all, he his cabinet is full of Wall street folks, his administrator has relentless supported the corporations, and Obama has been happy to make a fortune on his book sales. In what regard does he manifest anti-capitalism?

Beck tells it like it ‘is’ for money. Of course, that depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is. He criticizes the health care system in 08 and praises its glories in 09. That’s not logically distant from relabelling a successful liberal president ‘basically a conservative’ and a weak conservative government as too liberal. I personally pray to God every evening that libertarians or true conservatives take over. And we can see once again how easy it must be to run a country of 300M people on the cheap.We’ll return to the purity that was late 18th century America. When the population was 4 million and much more homogeneous. And the land under US control was much smaller. And the world was so much less complicated.